


That Something.

by MeredithBrody



Series: Piece Of Your Heart [2]
Category: Designated Survivor (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, emily is a traitor, emily negative
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-08-21 01:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16566965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/pseuds/MeredithBrody
Summary: Kendra and Trey's wedding approaches, while life is going to change in unexpected ways. (continuation of "Ever After", companion to "Safe Haven")





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PinkAngel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkAngel/gifts), [Hideous_Sun_Demon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hideous_Sun_Demon/gifts).



> So I'm here, updating, because the beast that needs positive reinforcement is stronger than my need to bank chapters. So here we are. The second part of the "Piece of your Heart" series.

**December 6th, 2018**

The last 15 hours had been the most stressful of Kendra’s entire career, right when she was supposed to be avoiding undue stress. Like that was ever going to be possible in the job that she was doing. Since the allegations against Emily had gone public she’d been in constant meetings, all through the night, and now she was waiting for the signal to join Seth’s briefing. Trey had come down to spend some time with her and truthfully right now he was the only thing keeping her going. “Are you sure you’re ready for this, Ken?” He said quietly, glaring at the other person waiting outside the door.

“I gotta do it. I promised them yesterday that I’d give a full briefing today.” She replied quietly, leaning in so she could whisper to Trey’s ear. She didn’t really want Steven Flannery to be overhearing her private conversation with her partner and it gave her an excuse to get closer to him for a moment. “You gonna be here when I’m done?” It wasn’t necessary, though Kendra did hope that she would be able to see Trey after this. It was more emotive than she’d expected and having Trey nearby was definitely going to help her feel better about it.

“If you want me to be, sure.” Trey barely took his eyes off of Steven Flannery’s back and if she wasn’t so nervous and nauseous Kendra was sure that she would have found his protective jealousy adorably endearing. Probably if she hadn’t told Trey what she suspected Flannery had done he wouldn’t have thought about it at all and would have been quite pleasant to him as he was to almost everyone, but Kendra was actually thankful that Trey wasn’t palling up with him.

While she did want Trey to be there she also knew that her mother would be arriving soon and she didn’t want to leave her mum sat in the foyer or being shown to the residence by the Secret Service without anyone she knew being there. That meant she needed Trey to help her with that. “Yeah, but if I’m not out in thirty minutes can you go and meet my mom?”

“Of course.” Trey nodded then pulled her into his arms and held her close for a moment before he just whispered in her ear. Why he had suddenly decided to hug her Kendra didn’t know but she was thankful for it because she wasn’t sure that she was going to be able to hold herself together and it was as though Trey’s hug gave her the boost she desperately needed. “Kick ass, babe.” She grinned and kissed him softly before Penny ran up and demanded her uncle’s attention for a moment. Kendra stepped forward and ended up stood beside Steven, knowing he was going to try and throw her off her game she just let out a sigh and steeled herself so she wasn’t taken in by him again.

“Look remember we’re on the same side in this. We both want the truth about Emily.” Steven said quietly, clearly not wanting to bring attention to what he was saying to anyone else that might be passing, or indeed even Trey and Penny, but it was loud enough that Kendra knew he was trying to get her to let him in on her thinking again. He’d done this often enough. “I’m not trying to jam you up, and it’s nice to see you happy.”

“I am happy, Steven.” She confirmed, and she couldn’t help but turn back and smile to where Trey was having a flowery necklace placed around his neck by Penny who looked like she was going to explode with happiness from it. After a moment she turned back to face the door. “We should focus on the press conference.”

“Are you still feeling awkward about May?” Yes. She was. She wasn’t telling him that. It wasn’t what he thought about in May either, though. It was about the fact she still didn’t know exactly what had happened in Boise and the thoughts had her feeling extremely uncomfortable about it all. “You don’t need to, I understand the decision you had to make and I’m not going to use it against you.” The hand landing on her shoulder made her stiffen and then shrug it off. It was the last thing that he could have done to make her feel more comfortable

“Hey pal, back off.” Trey said suddenly and Kendra realised that while he’d been talking with Penny he’d still been keeping an eye on Kendra and on what had been happening in their conversation. Trey stood up still wearing Penny’s flower necklace and stepped forward, putting his arm around Kendra’s back and holding her to him again. Kendra smiled and nodded to him gently, thanking him for reminding her that she wasn’t alone in this. Not at all.

Steven immediately stiffened up and took a few steps away from her, clearly sensing that Trey was not going to let her alone unless she told him to. Kendra, at least, knew that Trey would leave her alone if she asked him. Penny stood in front of them and when she looked down Kendra saw the scowl on her face. “Do you mind, I’m just talking to my old friend. It’s nothing to do with you.”

“Ken?” Trey asked after a second, his hands going to Penny’s shoulders as he did, clearly ready to steer her away based on her answer. She took another moment of comfort from having her family stood with her then nodded a little for him to step away, running her hand through Penny’s hair gently.

“I’m okay, Trey.” She said and felt him kiss her cheek before stepping back. She had the nerve again to actually stand up to Steven and she was going to use it to show him that she didn’t need him to be nice, they were here to work and nothing more. “Steven we’re just here to work, I don’t want to talk. It’s not about May, and it’s not about us, it’s just about the fact we need to keep the walls up for this.”

“I can respect that.” Steven replied, turning his gaze back to the closed door they were waiting to open. After an extended pause in conversation Kendra heard a familiar sigh and knew that a comment she wouldn’t like was coming. “You didn’t need your boyfriend here as a chaperone, though.”

“He’s my fiancé. We’re getting married in January.” Kendra corrected him and she didn’t miss the look of shock that passed over Steven’s face as she said that. Kendra smiled as she remembered why Trey was there, and it was actually nothing to do with Steven at all. “He’s here because I asked him to stay, and I still want him to stay.” Once the door opened Kendra just smirked and stepped forward first. “Showtime.”

Kendra hated being up in front of the press, she was trying her hardest to keep it all together and she had always been good at hiding her discomfort, but she was glad that her part was blissfully short and she just had to stand and watch while Steven spoke. There were plenty of questions she could have answered, but she wasn’t going to. When Seth called time on the press conference she was eternally grateful, and was even happier that it meant she could go on lunch with her mother.

They had made the plans to go wedding dress shopping weeks earlier and there was a part of Kendra that was definitely worried about what her mom was going to think about the choices she was going to look for, anything that was not going to show her waist too much and she was determined that it shouldn’t be white. Those were the only terms she had, unfortunately, Judith was not agreeing with the ‘no white’ directive. “What about this one.”

“I like it but it’s white.” Kendra replied looking at it then saw the face that Judith pulled. “Momma I’m not getting in married in white, not in the church. It’d be like I’m lying. I haven’t been entitled to a white dress for some time.” There weren’t many things that she wanted to keep to tradition for, but given that she had been sexually active for a very long time now she didn’t feel like she was entitled to wear a white dress to a traditionally Catholic ceremony.

“But who would know!? People wear white when they’ve had kids now!” That argument wasn’t really going to convince Kendra that it was a good idea for her to wear white. Not when it felt like a lie to be wearing a colour that symbolised purity. She wanted cream anyway, really, but she wasn’t all that sure that her mother was going to like that.

“Who would know? Anyone who’s known me since college and I’m fairly sure that God knows what I do in the bedroom.” That was one thing she was absolutely certain about, otherwise why did she spend so much time in confession over the last twenty years? That was her main sinful behaviour and she had to admit that it was going to be nice to not have to go for that anymore.

“Kendra Leanne Daynes.” Judith tried to scold and that just reminded Kendra that her mother was hardly the innocent and pure virgin that she seemed to be believing her daughter should be. She could continue acting affronted but Kendra was always going to have that ace in her hand.

“Oh don’t act like that nobody believes it. You were pregnant with me when you and dad got married, noticeably pregnant.” It wasn’t often that she actually brought that up because it often reminded her mother that while Keith Daynes had always been Kendra’s legal father, he wasn’t her biological father and that was a painful memory for Judith.

“I still got married in white.” Judith muttered, wheeling herself to the other racks to start going through them. Kendra wanted something that wasn’t going to need to be completely altered to look good on her. She had one month before she would be walking down the aisle and she wanted a minimum of fuss.

“Ivory or cream are perfectly acceptable.” She stuck to her guns and turned back to the ones that she was looking at. There was one that immediately drew her attention, empire waist lace and silk. It was traditional and beautiful and in ivory rather than white. It ticked all of her boxes and she held it up to her mom. “Oh I love this.”

“You’d look better in a drop waist.” Judith replied but came up and moved the dress around as if studying how it might look while it was moving. “Show off that amazing figure.” Kendra felt a little guilty about how that sounded, especially given that it wasn’t going to be that way for long.

“I’m not sure I can have that.” She said looking down then just realised that the only way to make her mother understand why Kendra wanted what she wanted was to let her in on the big secret. “Mom I’m pregnant, don’t tell anyone. That’s why I want a high waisted dress.” It would cover up a multitude of sins, not least that she was having a baby.

“You’re pregnant?” Judith paused entirely and stared at Kendra for a few moments. This was definitely not going to be something that anyone had expected. Given that both she and Trey were so religious. That was part of why Kendra was so happy they had already decided to get married quickly. “How far along?”

“Six weeks. I’m due at the end of July.” She hadn’t even written her due date down for anyone but she knew when it was going to be. “Only Trey and I know, I found out at Thanksgiving. We weren’t going to tell you until Christmas since it’s still so early but…” She was well aware that this might not happen, but she hoped that she’d be fine.

“I’m gonna be a nana!” Judith yelped and grinned. Kendra was actually really happy about it all and the person who knew that best was Judith. Kendra hoped that she would be as happy about this baby. “Oh, Kendra. I’m thrilled. Are you and Trey happy?”

“Definitely. I’ve always wanted children just never found the right guy… Now I have I was worried that Trey wouldn’t but… he did and now we’re here.” It was definitely the best way to explain it. She had always said she was going to wait until she knew was with her for life and that had been Trey. “It wasn’t planned like this but we’re both happy.”

“I’m happy for you Kendra. If you and Trey are both happy then you’re halfway there.” Judith smiled, and again, Judith was the person that was going to know who this was all about. Kendra’s biological father had definitely not wanted her to exist. Trey wanted this baby though and that gave Kendra a leg up. “Alright, that dress is really pretty and… well it’s not white.”

“It’s not, shall I try it?” She smiled, looking for one of the staff members and smiled looking to her mom again. Kendra wanted to see how it fit and she was hoping that it would look as good on her as she hoped. “We have 35 days. I can’t be too picky.” She went to try it on and was just thrilled, taking pictures of the dress to show others. She wasn’t going to let Trey see it still. She wanted him to only see it on the day, but she wanted Lyor’s opinion on the dress too. She was buying this dress anyway.

When they were done she paid and then started heading back to work after dropping her mom off at home. At this point she thought they had gotten used to having their secret service details around. They only had one agent each, though Kendra had a feeling that after the wedding that would increase. She then just headed back to work and ready to get on with her work. The moment she stepped through the door Aaron jumped up to her. “You’re back?”

“Yeah. I just took a long lunch with my mom.” She was a bit surprised by Aaron’s interest and was even more surprised when he fell into step beside her. “If something happened you could have called me… I was wedding dress shopping.” Kendra wouldn’t have been that happy about missing the shopping she needed to do but if she had to put her work first she would have. At the smirk on Aaron’s face she just glared for a moment then shook her head. “Don’t make a big deal of it. My wedding is in a month and I need a dress.” He was going to be there, he knew that. He was still working with her though and as they turned into the corridor for her office she wondered if there was a reason. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Look, Ken wait.” He reached out for her arm and pulled her to a stop a little away from her office and then just sighed. “Steven Flannery is in your office. He turned up half an hour ago, said he’s not leaving until he’s spoken with you.” That was not what she needed to hear tonight. She didn’t want to see Steven again today, but she was sure it was for a reason.

“I don’t like the sound of that.” She couldn’t think of a good reason the special counsel would be in her office and more than that why he’d be so insistent on seeing her. She wasn’t going into that meeting alone so she was glad that Aaron was there. “Aaron come with me. I don’t think any of us should be alone with the special counsel and I don’t have time to call for my lawyer. Record the whole thing on your phone, we’ll get Steven’s permission.”

“You sure?” Aaron asked, though Kendra wasn’t sure what bit he was double checking. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to go in her office but she needed to be professional and get on with her work. At least she would have Aaron with her and she didn’t need to worry about the fact that she was potentially alone with Steven. She wasn’t putting herself in that position again.

“I’m sure, let’s get it over with.” She watched as Aaron set his phone to record and they both walked in, Kendra taking control of the meeting and hoping that Aaron would stay stood to the side, an ever-vigilant witness. “Steven. I was told you were here, I’ve asked Aaron to witness and record the conversation, with your agreement.”

“Sure. I’ve no problem with that.” Steven nodded and waved a hand in Aaron’s direction before holding a file out to Kendra and giving her the fake-sincere smile that she mostly saw him give to defence lawyers. “I’ve come to bring you the full list of those we plan to subpoena.”

She immediately felt like this was a trap. Normally this would have just been sent via an email, no reason for it to be brought in person, and yet here he was. Something wasn’t right. This was definitely a trap of some sort. “You had to bring this to me in person?” She opened the file and started scanning the list. Most of them were expected until one of the last names. “You’re… wait, what?”

“What is it Ken?” Aaron asked, stepping a little closer so that he could read the paper over Kendra’s shoulder. The longer she looked at the name the less she could believe that he was actually doing that. That he would actually be that cold-hearted. There was no other description. After a moment she had her thoughts together enough to tell Aaron exactly what it was, hopefully before he’d skimmed that far down the list.

“He’s subpoenaing Penny Kirkman.” Kendra was surprised herself by the anger and protectiveness that seemed to rise up in her seeing the child’s name on the list. A name that seemed far too innocent to be surrounded by the names of so many political operatives and potential Russian conspirators. It was entirely out of place and Kendra wasn’t sure how to take it.

“She spent a considerable time around Emily Rhodes in the weeks after her mother’s death and could provide valuable insight into miss Rhodes’ state of mind.” Steven seemed so calm and collected as he said that and it made Kendra want to throw something at him. This wasn’t some game he was playing with his junior associates. This was a child.

“She’s nine years old.” Aaron had a similar undercurrent of anger in his voice as he spoke and Kendra suddenly realised how protective of the youngest member of the First Family the whole staff were. There was no way that Kendra was going to let Penny be put through this. She would put an end to it all before she did that.

“I’m seeing her tomorrow afternoon. Right after I spend some time with The President. I assume all involved staff have appropriate counsel.” The question was phrased so gently but Kendra narrowed her eyes knowing that it was a subtle way for Steven to question whether she had truly prepared them for this battle, and that’s what this was going to be.

“Yes.” Kendra settled her glare on him and then looked over the list again before speaking with as little emotion as she could. “I’ll distribute the list this evening.” It was her way of dismissing him and he did stand up and move toward her door, leaving her sat with Aaron stood beside her.  
They both watched as Steven walked to the door then stopped and turned back to them before putting his hand on the handle. “Oh and Kendra… I’m planning to empanel the Grand Jury on the seventeenth.”

“That’s in eleven days.” She yelped, unable to keep the pretence of total control up any longer with that knowledge. Steven wouldn’t be preparing the Grand Jury if he wasn’t reasonably assured that Emily was going to be indicted, and that was before the interviews. It didn’t make Kendra feel at all comfortable but she was beginning to realise that she wasn’t going to feel comfortable again until this was all over and done with.

“It is. I’ll see you again on Saturday, Kendra.” He then opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind him as he walked away. The second the door clicked closed she dropped her pen to the table top and let out a strangled scream. Absolutely determined that Steven Flannery was out to make her lose what little sanity she had left.

“This isn’t good, is it?” Aaron asked once she regained control and she knew that there wasn’t that much she could do right now. She was going to lodge a complaint with the attorney general about Penny’s subpoena, and then she needed to brief the senior staff. This time she was going to do all of them in one go.

“Can you gather the Senior Staff and the President for me.” She could have done it herself, but that would take time away from what she actually needed to do now, which was make sure that Penny never had to go into a deposition. “I need to lodge a complaint about the subpoena for Penny Kirkman.”

“Think you’ll get it rescinded?” It was a loaded question but Kendra was sure the AG didn’t want to be seen as exploiting a grieving child for political gain. That was the angle that she was going to push at. That Penny Kirkman was a child who had recently lost her mother. There would be nothing probative in her testimony.

“I hope so. We’ll find out in a few hours.” She knew she wouldn’t get a decision immediately. That anything that happened would probably only be decided in the morning. She didn’t need another sleepless night but she had a feeling she was going to have one.

“Good luck.” Aaron said then stepped out of her office and into the hallway. Kendra really hadn’t needed more intrigue as her way to start the day and yet here she was. Getting on the phone she prepared herself to do something she hadn’t done in a long time, think of ways she could play just as dirty as Steven Flannery clearly wanted to. Maybe she needed to see if she could stay in the residence tonight, she needed to sleep and be close by. Then she could work out where they needed to go next.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nano is DONE and I have a tonne of chapters banked so hopefully I can now update once a week.

**December 11th**

Trey had been back in a suit and in an office building for exactly twenty eight minutes and he was already sure that this was a bad idea. After the visit in New York a week earlier he had thought that this wouldn’t work out and now being back here he knew for certain he wasn’t going to be staying. Cassie was showing him around the new offices in DC but he still didn’t like being here. Though he was thankful he wasn’t too far from the White House. “How you liking being back at work?” Cassie asked when it was clear that Trey wasn’t actually paying any attention to what was going on around them. 

“I don’t. I got used to being able to do whatever I wanted… and not wear a suit.” He pulled at the collar and wondered if maybe all the food he and Kendra cooked meant he’d gone up a collar size. He hoped that he hadn’t but the tightness of his collar seemed it may have. Either that or he’d forgotten how much he hated wearing suit shirts that needed the top button fastened. 

“Bob tells me you’re only back until the New Year.” Cassie motioned for them to continue through the building and Trey nodded a little thinking about that. He wasn’t exactly certain that he wouldn’t be coming back after the wedding, but they were planning on announcing the pregnancy when they got back from their honeymoon and Trey planned to be staying home after that point. 

“Sort of. I’m getting married on January 13th.” Trey was certain that they’d sent Cassie an invitation so she would probably know that, but he wanted to make sure that he was understood. After that his family were going to be first and he wasn’t going to be prioritising work. He would still get his salary and his bonuses from the company and he felt he’d be able to focus on something else. 

“I know, I got my invitation.” Cassie grinned and confirmed that the invitations had gone out as they’d hoped. “It sounds like it’s going to be quite the swanky affair. I only got invited to the reception?” That had been something a lot of people had asked about but Trey didn’t feel bad that they hadn’t wanted a lot of people at the ceremony. It felt more special that way.

“Most people only got invited to the reception. Kendra and I wanted the service to be small. It’s really just family and close friends.” He hoped that she wouldn’t find that an insult given they’d worked together for a long time. She was still just a work friend, though, and Trey had barely invited anyone other than Tom, Leo and Penny. Kendra hadn’t either. 

“Just over a month to go. Are you excited?” Clearly Cassie had given up on getting him to talk about work right this second. He needed to have the work in front of him before he’d be able to focus on that, and talking about the wedding was one of the things that everyone seemed to want to do right now. “I’m glad you know this is right for you.” 

“I have been excited every day since I met her, and I know she’s the right person for me.” Trey followed Cassie into a room that was clearly an office and he decided to stop talking about the wedding before he ended up wanting to walk out of the office and not come back. “So, what do you want me to be doing today?”

“We have plenty of potential projects we want you to read through and give your decisions on, and then we have a list of potential clients we need you to go through.” Looking between the two piles of folders Trey already regretted coming back to work, but he would have eventually had to go through these anyway. Still, neither of these things really enthused him to what he needed to be doing here.

“Great.” He realised that he didn’t exactly sound the most enthusiastic he ever had, but he wasn’t going to pretend that this was an excellent thing. He did want to address the fact that he was only here until New Year, there was a chance he’d come back. It wasn’t a big one, but it was there. “And I may be back after the wedding. I’m really just seeing if I want to still be in the office. I have other commitments that keep me busy. It’s nice to be able to help my family, especially when it keeps me close to Ken too. But for now I’m here.”

“Well, we sorted out an office for you, and Connor here will be your assistant.” Cassie motioned to a young man who came to the door. He barely looked older than Leo, definitely looked too young to be working here, but Trey wouldn’t question it if he was good at his job. “Whatever you need he can arrange for you.”

“Good, I’m sure he’s well prepared.” That was an overstatement but he was going to remain as hopeful that he wasn’t going to have to completely train Connor up again. It didn’t seem fair that he get a new assistant who wasn’t actually ready for the job. “I’ll get on with this.” He motioned to the stack of paperwork, hoping that diving in would make him less anxious about it all. He managed to hold out for another two hours before he picked up the phone and got himself connected through to the White House so he could try and speak to Kendra. Much to his relief she was actually in her office. “Hey baby.”

“ _How’s your first day back going?_ ”

“I’m bored to tears and I miss you.” Trey didn’t actually mind telling her that, he would probably have even told anyone else who asked him that. He really had gotten used to being able to see her or Tom whenever he’d wanted and creating a routine again just didn’t seem to be suiting him. “I want today to be over already.”

“ _It’s eleven o’clock, Trey. You saw me four hours ago._ ”

“I know that but still… normally I’d be making something to bring down and have lunch with you about now.” That was normal to him now. How had that happened. He hadn’t planned on making it so that his day revolved around cooking, cleaning and helping Penny with her school work but luckily for him he was able to do that and he’d hopefully be able to do that again. 

“ _You’re like ten minute walk away. Want to meet up for lunch anyway?_ ”

“That café you like?” Trey already knew exactly where Kendra would want to go and he was so glad that she’d suggested meeting up with him. Some days that was the only time they actually got to spend together to talk, often when she finished work she didn’t want to talk, she wanted to watch a crappy movie and be held. He hoped they could continue having lunch during his work days. “At midday?”

“ _Both sound great. I’ve got to go to a meeting, I’ll see you in an hour._ ”

“I need to come talk to Seth too.” Trey suddenly remembered. They could have spoken yesterday but given Seth’s worries about therapy it hadn’t seemed like the right time. It was only now that he was remembering the increasing frequency he’d been getting emails from Seth about wedding arrangements. “I’ll explain that when we meet up. I love you.”

“ _I love you too, I can bring Seth with me. We have stuff to organise_ _right?_ ”

“Right. I’ll see you in about an hour.” He smiled then hung up, already feeling more like he was able to get through the rest of the morning and deal with the things that he needed to deal with here. Getting to see Kendra and Seth was enough to pick him up. As soon as he could he got up and told Connor he was taking a long lunch before strolling to the café and getting a table in a corner where they could be afforded some privacy. Trey tried to look nonchalant when he saw them step in the room but he was sure that neither of them would buy it. “Hey babe. Hi Seth.” He stood up to kiss Kendra’s cheek as she arrived and wrapped an arm around her waist as soon as she was in reach, his favourite position. 

“Hi Trey.” Seth smiled sliding onto the bench opposite where Trey had been sitting and smiling at them as Trey went to sit down again, leaving Kendra standing beside the table. “Ken said this was a good time to organise press around the wedding.” Seth said, addressing his comment just to Trey, not that Kendra was uninterested. 

“I didn’t think we’d have another chance.” Kendra ended up grinning a little and shook her head at the two of them. “Shall I go and order. You know what you want Seth?” Trey knew that she’d get him the same thing he always had, jackfruit mac and cheese. He’d tried several things here but that had rapidly become his favourite food to have anywhere while he tried to stick to Kendra’s dietary choices. She had never asked him to become vegan too but it had made sense to him. He wasn’t strict about it though. 

“Get me a burger and some fries.” Seth went to dig in his pocket for some change but Kendra waved him off and shook her head. She took a few steps away before she turned back. Her hand on the back of a chair at the neighbouring table when she looked back and tilted her head thinking for a second. 

“It’s a black bean burger, that alright?” Of course, Seth probably didn’t eat here and would have had no idea what he was getting into. There were plenty of burgers on the menu, but Trey had to agree with Kendra that Seth would probably only really enjoy the bean burger. The others were more of an acquired taste. 

“If I have barbecue sauce it’ll be fine.” Seth confirmed then they both watched as Kendra continued through the maze of tables up to the counter before Seth spoke again. “She’s not asking you?” He looked a little confused by that and Trey just shrugged. He was ready to let Seth believe that Kendra could just read his mind and would know exactly what he wanted, but it wasn’t exactly the most honest of thoughts and Seth didn’t need anything else making him question his abilities. 

“I have the same thing every time we come in here.” He admitted after a few seconds and watched Seth’s posture relax and his smiled become a little more genuine. “There aren’t many places in DC that do wholly vegan food so we come here a lot. It’s one of Ken’s favourite places.” Mostly because she could order anything here and know that it was going to be appropriate for her. 

“That brings up one of the more interesting topics we need to cover about the wedding.” Seth started and even though Kendra wasn’t there Trey was fairly sure that he could answer for the both of them and double check with her later. “We’re being asked about the arrangements by the lifestyle magazines and a lot of the celebrity magazines.” 

“We’re not celebrities. Kendra’s a lawyer, I’m a commodities trader.” Trey didn’t like that idea. He didn’t want to be thought of as a celebrity and he knew that Kendra didn’t either. They were normal people going about their normal jobs. The things that they had spent years getting good at. He wasn’t comfortable with the idea of being considered a celebrity.

“You’re also the brother of the President and you’re having your reception in the East Room of the White House in the run up to a re-election campaign.” Damn politics. Trey was very rarely bitter about the life his brother lived, especially given that he wouldn’t be doing any of this otherwise, but it was damned inconvenient that his wedding was even being politicised because of Tom’s position in the world. “We have cleared all the invited guests though, so at least that’s sorted out. You don’t have to worry about them. But we do need to go over things like the food and the decorations.”

“Honestly… we haven’t had much to do with those plans.” Trey had signed most of that over to the planner after the first meeting. Neither he nor Kendra cared that much about that. Kendra had just determined there be a vegan option for every meal course and all the drinks while Trey just didn’t want there to be cheesecake anywhere on the menu. Cheesecake was such an overrated dessert. “The White House planner took it over. They are just giving us the bill.” 

The look on Seth’s face made Trey’s day. He seemed so surprised to learn that they were going to pay for everything themselves and it did make Trey laugh a little. He knew that some people thought that they were going to be coasting on Tom’s position for this, but that wasn’t that they wanted. “You and Kendra are paying for that yourselves?” 

“Yeah. That’s what we said, obviously security and the venue are paid for but we’re paying for the rest.” They had even offered to pay for the use of the East Room, but Tom hadn’t allowed that and said that it would be his wedding gift to them. It was something that Trey was already grateful for. 

“Great, we can make a big deal about that and head off the complaints from some quarters about it costing the taxpayer.” Seth’s happiness at being able to help with all of this was clear and Trey was proud that he and Kendra were already beating expectations. It wasn’t as though they weren’t able to pay, either. “Kendra has a dress that’s been signed off too, so that’s good.” Suddenly Seth reached into the bag he’d brought with him and placed a folder on the table.

“Yeah. Seth is this really all necessary?” Trey asked as he watched Seth opening the file to go through the papers he’d clearly brought to go through with them. It all seemed too much for something so mundane to everyone else. “It’s only a wedding, we’re just normal people. Thousands of others will be getting married that day too.”

“People are interested in your wedding. They’re interested in the songs you’ve chosen and the clothes you’ll wear to go on honeymoon.” Seth looked through and the papers clearly to find where they had booked to go for that, though he could have just asked. Trey let out a sigh and looked over to Kendra, wondering what was taking her so long. “You’re going to Hawaii, right?”

“Yes, we took that advice.” Trey had really wanted to go to Greece or Italy but they had been advised to stay in the US, which had meant Kendra chose Hawaii because it was the furthest from her responsibilities she could get. “And the songs we’ve chosen are… well they’re standard wedding hymns.” 

“First dance, and the playlist for the reception?” Seth handed Trey a piece of paper as if he expected Trey to be able to write out the entire playlist from memory. Truthfully Trey didn’t even know most of the songs the band could play. Kendra had been in charge of the music and she’d wanted that to be kept within the family. Or, the extended group of church friends that had made up Kendra’s extended family.

“Oh. Yeah those will raise questions probably. Well, maybe not the playlist but the first dance probably will.” He and Kendra had chosen a recent song that they thought fit how they felt about each other, but it wasn’t the kind of song he thought anyone would have expected them to enjoy. “Kendra’s cousin John is singing with his band accompanying. I can get them to send their repertoire over.”

“Great. The last thing we need to go over will be press access.” Before Seth had even finished the sentence Trey was groaning and he looked over the Kendra again. “I know you don’t want any but they’ll just make it hard for you if you completely ban them. My recommendation is allow them to attend and report on the rehearsal.”

“We’ll talk about that when Ken is back.” There was no way that Trey was making a single decision about press access on his own. That was the one thing that they both wanted to be kept to a minimum but Trey was rapidly realising that that was not going to actually be possible given who they were and what they needed to do. 

Nothing was resolved, of course. They did agree to Seth’s idea to allow the press to attend the rehearsal but neither of them were happy about it. At least they managed to all eat before Seth and Kendra were called back to the White House and Trey had had to walk back to work as though what he was doing was anywhere near as important as what they were doing. He got home a little before six and watched the TV until he heard the door open and the thud of Kendra’s bag hitting the floor. He jumped up and went to the doorway, just smiling as he watched her. “You’re late back.” 

“Yeah. We’re still having some issues in Bolivia that don’t seem to be fading off.” She grumbled then came straight over to him and all but fell into his arms. She knew that he would give her a cuddle if it was what she needed and right now Trey felt like it was absolutely what she needed. Especially if there were still problems with Bolivia.

“Fallout from the kidnapping a few weeks ago?” Trey remembered that from around Kendra’s birthday. It had been almost six weeks but somehow he should have known that it wouldn’t go back to being quiet again and maybe he’d been a little naïve to think that that had all ended. 

“Yeah. We got all our guys back, alive, but there are still internal problems now that are going to affect US interests.” Kendra sighed resting her head against his chest while Trey just dropped his chin to the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. “I was in with state and Aaron all evening.”

“I got the stuff in to make those tacos you like, still want me to make them?” They would take a while to make, and Trey knew that Kendra preferred making them together so they could talk while they did. She might be too tired for them to make those tonight, but Trey had ideas otherwise for her. 

“I’ll be home early tomorrow… we’ll make them together.” Trey really did know her just as well as she knew him but it was always nice to have that reinforced. If she was this tired Trey just wanted to make sure that she was being taken care of. “Let’s just get take out from that Chinese we like tonight.”

“I can do that.” He smiled then pulled back a little and lifted her chin. “Go get in the bath and I’ll call you when dinner is here.” He leant down and kissed her softly before stepping away. He hoped that she’d stay in the bath long enough for his surprise to actually work the way that he wanted it too. 

“Thanks, Trey.” It was obvious that she was exhausted but Trey wanted to make sure she ate before she slept. That was definitely important at this point in her pregnancy and he wanted to get her relaxed. That meant leaving work at the door when she got home. 

“Go.” He smiled and kissed her once more before he went into the kitchen. He already knew he wasn’t calling for take-out, and was thrilled when he looked through the cupboards and pantry and realised they had enough in for him to make what Kendra would have ordered anyway. This was going to be so much tastier than any take-out they could have gotten. “Kennie, dinner’s ready.”

“You cooked didn’t you?” She asked as she came into the kitchen, gently drying her hair with a towel still before climbing onto one of the stools in front of the breakfast bar. They tended to eat in here more than in the dining room as it was much easier for them to be comfortable there and it felt so much cosier. 

“Yeah. I cooked.” He admitted and nodded before leaning over to kiss her gently. “I wanted to make sure you ate properly. It’s sweet and sour tofu, just like you would have ordered from the Chinese place. This is much healthier though… and probably a lot warmer too.” That was definitely true and Trey was happy he got to spoil her. 

“You are too good for me.” Kendra laughed and pressed her forehead to his before letting him serve up and come to sit next to her. After a few bites each of the food Kendra looked at him and frowned a little. “You really don’t want to stay at work, do you?” She asked and Trey wondered how she’d gotten that from just the fact that he’d cooked for her. Then again, she’d probably also seen his emails. 

“I spent all today wishing I was somewhere else. I was almost wishing Penny would call me and ask me to come and help her with her homework.” He had actually almost called Penny himself to make sure that she wasn’t struggling with anything. He hadn’t expected that he would miss organising the household for Tom and going to charity events in his stead as much as he had today. He’d almost been begging for something to come up that required him to go and help the White House again. “Besides… I want to be home when our baby comes along, I want to be able to be hands on with him, or her.”

“You wanna be a house husband, huh?” She laughed a little while shovelling mouthfuls of rice away. Maybe she was hungrier than she’d let on but Trey was thrilled to see her enjoying what he’d made for her. Now he knew this was a winner he would need to remember to make this more often.  

“Would you be okay with that?” He hadn’t ever actually asked her about that before and so he didn’t know if she would be comfortable with that idea or if it was something that she would rather he didn’t do. Given that Kendra was quite progressive and liberal he couldn’t actually imagine her having a problem with it. 

“Trey… I will support you with anything that you want to do, and if you want to be home with Penny and the baby then I’ll completely support you.” She smiled and put her chopsticks down then stroked the side of his face. “I want you to be happy, and if that’s what will make you happy then I’m fully behind you.” Kendra’s support meant more to him than he could ever tell her, and knowing she was happy with his idea of staying home with the baby made him even happier that that was what he wanted.

“I’ll work until we announce the pregnancy, though.” Trey thought that that would probably be important for them both. Even if all it ended up being was him figuring out baby things. “Let’s finish up so we can get to bed.” Trey wanted to get to cuddle up with Kendra for a while and forget about the fact that he needed to go back to work again on Thursday. Tomorrow he could go back to his usual routine and he was looking forward to that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'm slow as balls posting but I just finished a chapter so here you go, you get another.

**December 14 th **

It didn’t seem to matter what position she was in, the anxious anticipation of the day coming up was getting to Kendra. She hadn’t been able to sleep all night, she’d barely eaten at dinner and now she just felt like she was keeping herself awake. Tossing and turning was not helping anyone, least of all her. Trey was sleeping soundly beside her but she was giving up and sitting up. There was no way she could feel better about this than to just do something else. “Shit, I give up.”

“Go back to sleep, Ken.” Maybe Trey wasn’t as asleep as she’d thought. He rolled over as she started to move and that was all she needed to be convinced that she needed to get out of the bed. It wasn’t at all easy for her when she was feeling this shaky and anxious but she managed to push away and went to stand in front of the window and look out onto the darkened street beneath her. “You going somewhere?”

“I can’t sleep.” She grumbled as she stopped and just looked out into darkness, trying to find comfort in it as she always had before. If she couldn’t then it wasn’t going to be worth keep trying right now. After a few minutes she could still feel Trey watching her and she knew that he was just giving her the time to tell him what it was that she needed from him or what it was that was on her mind. “I have round two with Steven tomorrow… Today.”

“I know.” He said simply, the reply making her wonder if she’d already spoken about it or if Trey just remembered her schedule. At this point she knew that it really could be either of them. Trey climbed out of his side of the bed then came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Dropping a couple of kisses to her shoulder as he did. “Do you want me to be there?”

“I can’t have you there. It’s gotta be just me and Grace.” God how much she wanted for him to be there. How she wanted for him to be the only person in the room and the only person that she had to speak to but she knew that that wasn’t how it worked. It had to be them all and Trey couldn’t be there even just to support her.

“That much I remember, but I can wait outside.” He said earnestly and continued kissing her neck and shoulder softly. Trey was always attentive to her when she struggled to sleep like this and Kendra had to admit that he was shockingly good at working out what it was that she was struggling with and what she needed to be done to get through it. “Tell me what you need from me Kennie and I’ll do it.”

Kendra hated feeling like she needed anyone, least of all her partner, but in this situation she really did. She didn’t want to have to think about how this might go and not have Trey right there to pick up the pieces no matter what it was that she was doing that had caused the problems to begin with. “Can you come?”

“Of course.” He kissed her shoulder once more then just pressed his head against hers gently. She already felt a little better, though the anxious pit in her stomach had only lessened slightly. Given all the problems that were going on that maybe wasn’t all that surprising. “Want some tea?” Her stomach turned a little at that and she shook her head softly. “Hot chocolate?”

“Hot chocolate.” That sounded good and she knew that Trey made absolutely amazing hot chocolate. It would give her something warm that might help her calm a little. “What I really want is a hot toddy, but I can’t have that right now. I don’t actually feel great.” That was probably just the fact that she was so wound up by this, even though it was all coming to an end. It didn’t really feel like the end.

“I’ll go and make you my patented almond milk hot chocolate and hopefully the warm drink will let you sleep.” He kissed her cheek again softly and Kendra just pressed against him for another second, keeping her hands on top of his so that he couldn’t move until she’d let go. That was what she needed in that instance.

“I hope so.” She nodded and watched in the window as he turned the hall light out and headed down to the kitchen. She was still staring out the window when she heard her phone ringing and she went over and picked it up. She hoped that Lyor was not calling with an emergency. She wasn’t able to do that right now. Kendra needed to just stay home and try and get some sleep but she still answered. “Hey Lyor.”

“ _You can’t sleep either?_ ”

“Well, I would have had to wake up to get the phone anyway, but as it happens, no. Are we needed in?” It seemed like it was the most obvious question, though given that her work phone hadn’t had a simultaneous call from the White House operator calling her in she was going to guess that it wasn’t a work problem.

“Who you talking to, babe?” Trey’s voice echoed up from the kitchen and Kendra realised that maybe she’d been talking louder than she’d been expecting and anticipating. She was glad that she didn’t have to worry about Trey thinking she was hiding anything from him but that wouldn’t stop him worrying given how she was feeling tonight.

“Lyor called.” She shouted back down the stairs to where Trey had called up to her from. Given that she hadn’t even had her phone anywhere near her when he had left the room she couldn’t blame him for worrying about her. She then turned her attention back to Lyor. “Sorry, I’ve been keeping Trey awake too. I’ve got my second round with Steven in the morning and I’m more anxious about this than I was about the first round.”

“ _He’s called you in again, why?_ ”

“Something about further evidence unearthed. He interviewed Emily yesterday.” Kendra had a feeling that, as her way of trying to throw suspicion off herself, Emily had fed some lies to the special counsel that were going to cause trouble for her. She couldn’t be certain though. Given that there were situations Emily had called that Kendra had helped bury she could be in an awkward position. “He’s going to ask me about Moss, I know he is.”

“ _You did the right thing there Ken. Flannery will figure that out. I wanted to get your opinion on something and Seth is asleep._ ”

Kendra gave an answer that made it seem like she was ready to that then she just did what she often did when Lyor made these calls and let him argue with himself. He didn’t actually want her opinion on anything, he just  needed to feel like someone was listening to his arguments while he worked it out for himself. She hadn’t gotten these calls that often since Lyor had begun dating Seth but she still got them sometimes. She was stretched back out on the bed when Trey brought the two mugs up to the bedroom and looked to the phone then whispered. “Are you even listening to him anymore?”

“Kind of. I’m hoping he’ll think I’ve fallen asleep.” She said at her usual volume. It was so unnecessary that she answer that he wouldn’t have even noticed that she’d muted the microphone so that she could yawn. “I muted the microphone.” She pointed out when Trey gave her a strange look. He put the two mugs down and then held a hand out.

“Give me the phone. Give it to me.” She was hesitant at first then she handed it over watching him. She was concerned for a second that Trey might tell Lyor that she was still awake but instead he just smiled at her. “Hey, Lyor. Sorry Ken’s fallen asleep.” He was still grinning when she heard how suddenly Lyor’s diatribe came to an end and he clearly needed a minute to catch up to what he was supposed to say to that.

“ _Oh. I’ll have to ask her about it tomorrow._ ”

“She’ll be there after she’s spoken to Flannery. See you later.” Trey then hung up and leant down to kiss her while putting her phone on the side table. Kendra shook her head a little and almost couldn’t believe that he’d managed to play so easily that she was asleep. Though hopefully she would be after this. She didn’t want to be trying to stay awake all that much longer.

“You really are my saviour.” Kendra laughed after a moment then leant up to kiss him again before pulling back to reach for the hot chocolate she was now actually ready to drink. She was so glad that Trey had been happy to go and make something that might settle her stomach, and even if it didn’t she would enjoy drinking it. Then she tried it and thought that it would be a real shame if it didn’t put her to sleep, it was pretty much the perfect hot chocolate. “This is really very good. Thank you.” She finished off her hot chocolate and then settled down again, hoping that this time sleep would actually come.

Kendra did manage a few hours sleep but she found herself still feeling sick when she woke up. It was easy enough to ignore and try and focus on what it was that she needed to do today, even if she didn’t like that that was what she was doing. Today they were meeting in an office in the Department of Justice, meaning Kendra couldn’t even hide in her own office until they were ready for her. She got there with Trey and headed up the stairs to where Grace was waiting in a corridor. “Ken, you don’t look great, you okay?”

“I didn’t sleep well and I’m a bit nauseous. I think it’s just nerves.” She placed her hand flat on her stomach hoping that she wasn’t going to be sick all over everybody. It had been a long time since she had felt this sick, and she didn’t really like that she was all of a sudden. She was going to guess that it was morning sickness but she wasn’t sure.

“You’ll let me know if you need a break, right?” Grace continued looking concerned and Trey just kissed her cheek as she went in. Kendra wasn’t really sure how she was supposed to do anything if she felt sick and she didn’t like she was here again but she was going to suck it up. Knowing that Trey was right outside was helpful. “The last thing any of us need is you getting sick here.”

“I will, believe me. I don’t want that either.” She nodded and went to settle down into her chair. She didn’t want to make small talk with people, she didn’t want to laugh at the jokes and act like this wasn’t all a huge inconvenience. Kendra wanted to get it all over with so that she could go back to work and get everything finished before she went away for Christmas.

It seemed like everyone was in a similar mood, today. It was all much more formal than the previous meeting had been. Kendra wondered if some of that was the fact that it was public knowledge that the case was ongoing now, or if it was becoming obvious that nobody believed what they were here to ask about. I wasn’t stopping Steven from pressing Kendra, and she was struggling to keep her composure. Grace, thankfully, was just as fast as Kendra. “That’s not probative.”

“I wasn’t asking you Grace.” Steven replied with only a cursory glance to Kendra’s attorney. Her entire adult life she’d wanted to impress Steven Flannery and even though she had complicated thoughts about him right now, she still had that subconscious urge to please him. The longer he looked at her like that the more confused her feelings were getting, and she was going to write that off to being more than a little sick, still.

“She’s not answering it, Steven, it’s not relevant.” Grace pushed back again, putting her hand on Kendra’s back as she spoke, clearly an unspoken sign that she should listen and only answer when Grace said too. It was hard to hold her piece right now, but she knew that she needed to keep quiet.

“You’re saying that the work Ms Daynes did for the First Family has no value here?” Kendra narrowed her eyes at that, she’d known that he was fishing for that but coming out and saying it was more than she’d actually expected for him to do. What she did or didn’t do as a private attorney was not in question here, and there was only one place this could have come from.

“Given this investigation has nothing to do with either Ms Daynes nor the First Family, no.” Grace argued back, and Kendra was happy to see that she used the same sickly-sweet smile that Kendra did when she knew that she held the winning hand. Kendra needed to remember to hire Grace when she returned to private practice. “She’s also bound by privilege as she was working as a privately hired attorney, not as White House counsel.”

It was interesting to watch the floundering of the last few questions before she was thanked for coming in, again, and told that she would hear about the results of the Grand Jury once it had sat. She was sure that she wouldn’t have to give evidence but she was ready to if she needed too. As soon as they started walking out Kendra just shook her head a little. “That was all about trying to find misconduct from me?”

“Likely something Emily told him, but it was nothing illegal and you were in private employ therefore you can’t give evidence. Neither you nor Mrs Kirkman dismissed privilege.” Grace didn’t need to tell her that, but there was a part of Kendra that was thankful for being reminded that death didn’t void privilege. It was easy to forget that sometimes. “I’m not sure what he wanted, but I am sure he didn’t get it.”

“So this was a fishing expedition?” She grumbled a little, her hand still on her stomach as she felt another wave of nausea coming over her. She’d thought that being through all of this would have settled her stomach but it didn’t look like she was going to get over that anywhere near as easily as she wanted.

“Yes, but an unsuccessful one.” Grace nodded then put her hand on Kendra’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Ken, he’s filing on Monday and he has nowhere else to go from here with regards to investigating you. If he tried I’d be filing a complaint.” That was something that Kendra would have considered already if he hadn’t given up with that line of questioning. As they reached the waiting room she smiled seeing Trey still sitting there. “Hey Trey.”

“Grace.” He replied and inclined his head toward her before standing up and coming putting an arm around her. Kendra was grateful for that if only because it meant she didn’t need to focus as much on standing upright. “That was fast, are you alright?” Trey had clearly been settling in for the whole day but Kendra was glad that wasn’t the case.

“I’m okay…” She trailed off a little because Trey would know she was lying so instead she turned her attention back to her lawyer. She hoped that Grace knew how much she’d helped over the last few weeks and that counted today too. “Thanks for the reassurance, Grace.” It seemed like such a mild thought but it covered how Kendra was feeling right now.

“Call me if you need anything. I’ll be there Monday as an observer so I’ll know what’s going on and I’ll tell you if we need to do anything more.” Kendra was fairly sure that Grace shouldn’t be doing that but she was fairly sure that she was almost certainly going to, and she wouldn’t be the only one. They both stood and watched as she walked off and then Trey just looked her over. Kendra didn’t need him to ask to know what he was asking.

“Steven was trying to stitch me up but Grace caught it before I answered anything.” She helped Trey pack up his things and then was glad that his arm went right back around her. “I’m not feeling great, babe.” There was no chance that he hadn’t noticed it and the fact she kept leaning on him probably made it obvious that she was really not feeling well right now.

“Want to go home?” Trey asked and Kendra desperately wanted to say yes. She wanted to go and curl up in bed and sleep off whatever this was that she’d picked up but she also knew that that probably wasn’t that much of an option right now. Trey wasn’t going to let her do too much but she needed to get to work and tell them all about what had gone on here.

“No, I gotta go to work.” She argued but there was a look on Trey’s face that let her know he wasn’t buying that at all. She did need to go to work but she didn’t think that Trey was going to let her right now. “I need to report in, everyone will be waiting to hear about what happened here.”

“You look awful and I’m a little worried about you.” That was kind of nice for her to hear, as she wasn’t used to people being worried about her and even after months together it still took her a few minutes to realise that Trey actually did care about her and wanted to make sure that she was alright. “We’re going to the ER, something isn’t right.”

“I’m fine, Trey.” She yelped, no matter how terrible she felt she didn’t think that she needed a trip to the ER. She couldn’t see how sick she looked, though, and she had a feeling that Trey wouldn’t be suggesting it if he thought that there was anything else that they could do. Kendra really didn’t want to go but she also didn’t want to worry Trey so she would, but she would complain all the way.

“No arguments, we’re going getting you checked out. I knew something was wrong this morning.” He got her into the car then spoke to both their secret service agents, telling them where they were going and no doubt calling the ER to let them know that the President’s brother and future sister-in-law were on their way.

Despite how much she hated being here and hadn’t wanted to come, by the time they’d given her some anti-nausea medication and had checked that the baby was fine she was glad that Trey had made her come. She finally didn’t feel sick, but she still felt they were all worrying over something minor that was probably her own fault for. “This is all a lot of fuss about nothing.”

“They brought you straight back, Ken. You’ve already been seen by a doctor. It’s not nothing.” Trey would have course argue that as if he was forgetting everything else that went into why they were pulled back and put in a private room away from everyone else with their secret service agents stood outside the door. “You’re pregnant and you look like hell.”

“They brought me back because you’re the President’s brother and we both have a secret service detail. I got VIP treatment.” Which she was thankful for, actually. She had always hated needing ER visits when she had to wait to be checked on. She was already sure what was wrong and she hoped that the doctors agreed with her. “I’m just a bit dehydrated and my blood sugar is probably a bit low. I didn’t have breakfast this morning.”

“Please, babe.” Trey asked, taking her hand and kissing it softly and she finally had to look at him and stop being annoyed about the fact that she was actually sick. That was when she realised that he was actually worried that it might be something worse and her attitude was going to cause more problems. “I don’t want there to be anything wrong for you and the baby.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll behave, for you.” She was only doing it for Trey because she didn’t want to worry him any more than he already was. There was no need for her to make it any worse for him given that they were both already struggling with how stressed she’d been lately and how much Tom had been acting out since the start of December. “Think you can get me a glass of orange juice though?”

“I’ll see if Nick or Jade can go get one.” Trey kissed her hand again then stood up before finishing his thought. “I’m not leaving until we know what’s going on.” It was a little sweet how attentive he was being but she was still sure that there was nothing all that serious going on. Maybe she was fooling herself now too.

“Thanks, babe.” She muttered quietly then moved up a little on the bed so that when he came back he could get up with her. She cuddled into him and closed her eyes, listening to his chest as he mumbled out the words to some of their favourite songs. It was quite a sweet way to relax together and she was almost sad when a doctor walked in and pulled out the chair. “Is there anything.”

“We’ve had your blood results back. You’re very pale so we wanted to put a rush on them.” Kendra felt like she should have told them that she was always pale, but since Trey had commented on her being pale earlier it probably wouldn’t be well received by any of them. “You’re very anaemic, so we’re going to give iron by IV today then give you a prescription for the remainder of your pregnancy.”

“Why the IV?” Trey asked, his arm still around Kendra and his free hand snaking into one of hers holding it tightly. She knew that he had been worried that there was something seriously wrong and while this wasn’t quite as serious as it could have been it was more than nothing so Trey had been right in bringing her here.

“It’s a formative time for your baby, that’s probably how you’ve become so anaemic so quickly.” The doctor gave her a gentle, reassuring smile which then morphed into a smirk. “I hope you’re not busy, you’re here for the rest of the day. This can make you feel sick for the next couple of days but try to eat normally in spite of it. You won’t feel like it but it’s for the best.”

“Thanks, doc.” Trey said while Kendra just nodded and let Trey pull her in closer to him. She felt like they were going to be spending most of the day in a position similar to this no matter what and Kendra was actually fine with that. What she hadn’t expected was for Trey to lean in and whisper in her ear. “See, I was right.”

“You like being right, don’t you?” She laughed then turned a little more herself so that she could kiss him deeply before realising that this meant she was not going to be getting in to work today after all. “Do you want to go call your brother and explain why I’m not coming in today?”

“I’ll do that now then I’ll be back.” He smiled and kissed her once more. Kendra was grateful that she would have a few minutes of quiet while he did that, and that she didn’t have to do it herself. Next time she was going to listen to Trey more when he said that she didn’t look well. Once he’d slid off the bed and kissed her forehead he just paused and clearly thought about something else. “I’ll go get us some magazines too.”

“See if Seth or Lyor can bring me my briefing books. I still have work to do.” That was the problem with her job, she was always going to have work that she had to do and that wasn’t going to stop just because she was a little ill or she was a little tired. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone walking in while she was reading something classified. Trey would be here anyway and the Secret Service would stop anyone not authorised. Kendra didn’t really want to spend the day doing the work while on a drip, but she’d get through it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I disappeared. No, I don't know when this will be updated again.

**21 st December**

Trey had been enjoying this week. Mostly because knowing that the case against Emily had started meant that Kendra was not as stressed as she had been. The iron infusion and tablets she was now taking had definitely helped her pick up too. He was still keeping a close eye on her, just in case she got bad again. This morning though he was just spending his time annoying her a little. “You packing?” He asked, laying on the bed right over where she was crouched on the floor.

“Yes, we’re leaving tomorrow.” Kendra’s suitcase was so neat compared to what Trey had thrown together and it seemed like it would be entertaining to see if she could keep it this neat while she was being annoyed by her boyfriend. Trey was definitely in some kind of mood this morning, and he had a feeling that he was going to be lucky to survive. That wasn’t enough to make him stop.

“I know we are but why does that mean you need to pack now?” Trey knew why, really. They had plans for tonight that meant they would only be home briefly this afternoon, and possibly only Kendra would be home. It depended on whether or not Penny had been okay at school. That wasn’t making Trey stop, though.

“Because it’s the Christmas party tonight, after which we’re staying at the White House and I know my mother, she’ll be here pressing us all to leave as early as humanly possible this evening after she arrives.” Trey had to admit, he was looking forward to spending more time with Judith. He also hoped they’d get some time to practice more while they were away. Especially if Tom and Penny kept Kendra busy. Judith was able to take a few steps with only a cane now, and that was something that Trey was proud of her for.

“I don’t think your mom is that bad, is she?” While he did like Judith, he had never travelled with her, so on this, he was going to have to take Kendra’s word. He’d never travelled with Kendra either, for that matter, so that was going to be interesting. It wasn’t even as though they were travelling on a schedule, either.

“Oh yeah. I told the Secret Service to get her then come and get us.” For a second Trey had to remember that she meant for the party this evening, not for the trip in the morning. “I guess that’s one perk of travelling with the President over Christmas. No queues and I don’t have to drive.”

“Definitely.” Trey then leant over the side of the bed looking at what she was putting in the rest of the case. Most of what she’d packed so far had been what he’d expected for her to pack, but he was a little surprised at her inclusion of pyjamas. In the time they’d been together she’d never particularly worn pyjamas, and until this moment he hadn’t even been sure she’d actually owned any. “Are you packing pyjamas?”

“Penny, mom and I have a pyjama party planned.” She answered and then looked up at him with an expression that Trey didn’t actually know how to read. She wasn’t the type to play it coy but it was obvious that she was thinking about how to phrase something. Trey just kept watching her for a moment and then saw her finally take in a deep breath then sighed. “Mom knows about the baby.”

“What?!” He jumped up to sitting and just stared at her for a moment. They had made the deal to keep the pregnancy just between the two of them and, apparently, Lyor. Trey was keeping this from his brother and his family and Kendra had still told her mother even though they had agreed that they weren’t going to do that. He didn’t know how to feel about it but he couldn’t really be mad at her, even though he was sad that Judith wouldn’t be finding out with Tom, Leo and Penny.

“I told her while we were shopping for my dress, she promised to keep it a secret until we were ready to tell everyone.” Kendra did, at least, look a little sheepish for the fact that she hadn’t told him. Especially since she’d been dress shopping more than two weeks ago. Trey knew that her chosen dress was in one of the unused bedrooms in the White House so that he wouldn’t accidentally see it.

“She didn’t mention it when I saw her.” Trey had expected that Judith didn’t know as she hadn’t once mentioned that she knew about the baby, and Trey was surprised that she’d managed to keep a secret like that. She hadn’t even been able to keep the fact that Trey had once had a perm secret for more than an hour and a half. The only way she would have definitely not mentioned it would have been… wait. “You said you hadn’t told me, didn’t you?”

“I may have mentioned that,” Kendra admitted, continuing to look sorry and Trey took heart from that. At least she did seem to be regretting that she’d both told her mother and not told him. He wasn’t really mad about it, but he didn’t need to let Kendra know that. “Look we’re going to be telling the rest of the family in a couple of days, and she needed to know why I wanted the style I did.”

“Alright, I’ll let you off.” He joked with a grin then leant to kiss her, smiling as she climbed up onto the bed with him still kissing him deeply. Trey didn’t mind that she’d decided that paying him attention was the fastest way to get him to leave her alone but he was surprised that she’d given up on what she’d been doing quite so easily. “I thought you were meant to be packing?”

“I was, then you distracted me.” She smirked after a few minutes, settling onto the bed beside him and cuddling up into his side. Trey tightened his arm around her and rested his chin against the top of her head. “Have you packed?” Kendra asked after a few minutes of silence and Trey saw yet another opportunity to make Kendra freak out a little, which he should not be finding so entertaining.

“What do I need to pack? I need what… a pair of pants and a couple of shirts.” He was not that dense, and his bag was actually fairly comprehensively packed with everything he could conceivably need along with an extra week’s worth of his meds just in case he lost his satchel and he also had a list of numbers of the people most responsible for his care in case something happened. Kendra knew it all too, but it was always helpful to have a backup. “Maybe some socks?”

“I really hope you’re being purposefully facetious.” Kendra accused, sitting up a little and looking down at him as she did. Trey wasn’t sure how she’d gotten the morning off but he was thankful that she was here and that neither of them actually needed to be rushing around.

“I plead the fifth.” He defended himself and they were both laughing when Kendra leant in to kiss him again. Wrapping his arms around her he held her close to him and just enjoyed a few more moments of closeness. Neither of them would have much chance to spend time alone for the next week, and so Trey was taking what he could get right now.

“Rude.” She ended up joking after a few minutes then trying to pull away, Trey jokingly kept hold of her, but if she had actually tried to push him away she would have easily been able to stand up. Instead, he kissed her deeply and was glad that she wasn’t really trying to get up. “Trey, come on. I really need to finish packing before I go to work.”

“But this is more fun.” Trey moved his lips to kiss her chin and down her neck too, making it clear what he was meaning. He was almost sure that at this point in a day Kendra wouldn’t be refusing sex and Trey didn’t regret that he was stopping her from doing what she wanted to do if it meant they could do this. He would finish packing for her later.

“You’re not wrong, this is a lot more fun.” She ended up agreeing a few moments later, letting Trey pull her along with him into a morning of bad ideas. By the time Kendra was actually heading to work they were both more tired than they probably should have been at eleven in the morning.

Trey had even had an hour’s lie down before he finished packing up Kendra’s bag. He was glad to know that he still did know how to pack for them both. By the time he was finished and had cleaned around the house too he was wondering if he should go and pick Judith up early when there was a knock on the door. “What the hell are you doing here?” Trey asked the moment he opened it and saw Midge standing there and smirking.

“I hoped you’d be home, I wanted to take you out for lunch. I’m going to Bora Bora on Monday and you’ll be doing your family thing.” Midge had never really been great at the idea of having a family and Trey was sure that his friend had no idea what this was actually going to be like for Trey. This was his first family Christmas in over a decade and it was important.

“It’s a bit late for lunch,” Trey commented, knowing that it was already after two in the afternoon and none of them really needed to be eating that late. Trey wasn’t sure that he should eat anything given he knew that he’d be eating at the Christmas party at the White House too. “If by that you mean spending Christmas with my partner, her mother, my brother and his kids then you’d be right. That is exactly what I’ll be doing.”

“Sounds boring.” There it was. Midge’s complete lack of understanding that what he found boring was something that others had been striving toward. Trey may have done a great job of pretending that he didn’t care about anything when Tom hadn’t been talking to him, this was all he’d wanted. To have Christmas together again as a family.

“Midge we’re about to turn forty, this is what most people our age are doing.” Trey actually liked that he was one of the masses now, for the first time in his life. He felt like he was doing something that he was expected to be doing and unlike when he was younger and he thought that was overrated he was thrilled for it now.

“Still sounds boring, and I’m still not sure it’s what you really want so I’m here to give you one last chance to come with me to Bora Bora.” Midge really didn’t understand, did he? Trey knew that in his own way Midge was just trying to make sure Trey really knew what he wanted, but it wasn’t the right thing to keep pressing.

“Sorry, no.” He said, again, for the fifteenth or so time. Trey had actually lost count of how often they’d had this conversation since October, but it was a few times too many. “Why can’t you see that I’m happy? That this is what I want from my life?” Trey just wanted his friend to support him. To realise that this wasn’t something that he wanted to be talked out of.

The reaction was exactly the Midge Trey remembered from when they were younger. Assuming that everyone wanted what he wanted. “Since when!?” He demanded, and Trey could feel the eyes rolling to the back of his head. “You never wanted this before, even when you were dating Kathy and Maurine.”

“Maurine told me I should embrace my problems and that there was nothing wrong with me, I almost killed myself because of her.” Trey would never forget that, and he remembered Alex coming to him in the hospital after that and telling him that he needed to see someone, that she had some numbers. He wished he’d listened to his sister-in-law then, but that hadn’t been how it was destined for him to go then. “Kathy, as I recall, was your girlfriend.”

“Oh yeah. I dated Kathy. She was great.” Midge barked with laughter and Trey wondered how he’d gotten mixed up with that. Maurine had been Trey’s only long-term partner before Kendra, and she had definitely not been a great influence on him. Unlike Kendra, who was brilliant. “We’ve had some wild times, Captain Kirk. Why do you want them to be over?”

“Because I’m an adult. I’m getting married, I’m going to become a dad. I don’t want anything like what we used to do.” That was harsh but Trey couldn’t bring himself to be sorry about that because it was true. Everything they had done had been great at the time, but it wasn’t the person Trey was anymore. “It’s childish and immature, I’ve grown up and you should too.”

“I should grow up?” Midge demanded, his voice shaking as he spoke. “I’m perfectly happy with the person I am, Trey. Can you say that?” Trey hated that question, for years he’d avoided answered whether or not he liked the person that he was but finally, _finally_ he could say that he actually did like the person that he now was. He was finally growing up and he wasn’t sorry that he was leaving his old life behind him. He was never going to regret that.

“Yes. I can. For the first time in my adult life.” They both fell silent, staring at each other and breathing heavily as the instant change in their friendship was realised. There was no way Trey could take back what he’d said but he didn’t regret it. “Look I have to go meet Kendra. Why don’t you come with me and wait in the Residence until she’s done with work.”

“I don’t really want to be in the White House,” Midge complained and Trey knew that that was probably more to do with the fact that they had fought than him not actually wanting to be there. “Fine, I’ll come. You have to drive though, I already sold my car.” Maybe Midge was considering going for a lot longer than he had let on. Trey didn’t remember him ever selling his car before.

“That’s fine, you got your passport with you for ID?” Trey asked and when Midge agreed they just set off. He left the bags near the door, knowing that Kendra would get them later, and he just tried to keep Midge distracted. It was only then that he realised he’d told Midge about Kendra’s pregnancy. All the things that he’d sworn he wasn’t going to talk about had fallen out of him in a moment of rage and annoyance. He had always tried to be better than that be he’d never quite managed when he’d been angry.

Thankfully Midge had been quiet most of the rest of the afternoon, and Trey kind of hoped that he was actually thinking about the things that Trey had said. That was probably a vain hope but it was one that Trey had regardless. When the party started he went down, leaving Midge with Penny so that he would be able to break the news to Tom and Kendra on his own. Kendra had taken it well, but Tom was not taking it anywhere near as well. “What do you mean you brought Midge here!?”

“I just need him to speak with you and Ken tonight after the party and see that all this is exactly what I actually want.” Trey defended. He knew that this was one of the best ways for him to convince his old friend that he wanted what he was going to be going through but at the same time he was almost certain that he wasn’t going to be able to keep Midge away from something like this. “I know it doesn’t seem like much to you, but he was a good friend to me when I didn’t have anyone.” That was something that Trey hoped he’d never have to live through again, but right now it still mattered to him.

“I’d just rather not have him in my White House.” Tom had made that obvious on more than one occasion and Trey at least knew that wouldn’t be happening again. A year earlier Trey was fairly sure that Tom would have had the same thoughts about him too. He wouldn’t have wanted his screw up little brother to have been there regularly. But here he was, and he hoped that one day Midge would make a similar change.

“Last time. He’s leaving for Bora Bora on Monday and he said he’d be gone for at least 6 months.” At least. Trey had the feeling that he’d been gone for far longer, even if he hadn’t outwardly said that he was going to be gone that long. Trey actually wondered if he was ever going to be seeing his friend again, though he wouldn’t be entirely unhappy if he didn’t.

“That’s good.” Tom nodded, still leaning against a desk as there was a sudden flurry of activity from the other side of the door before it opened and Aaron stuck his head around, a mixture of concern and amusement playing on his face. “What is going on in there?” Tom managed to ask before Trey could say anything, though he was fairly sure he didn’t actually want to know the answer.

“Trey, you better get through here. Your friend is causing a problem.” Aaron said simply, looking directly at Trey as he said it. Trey didn’t know why he just assumed that it was Kendra that Midge would target, but somehow he was sure that that was exactly where this would go if he didn’t step out to stop it.

“Shit.” He muttered as he practically dived through the doorway and looked around for Kendra, being absolutely certain that he needed to get straight to her. He didn’t even look around for Midge, not thinking that his friend would be anywhere away from where Kendra was at that moment. “Ken, you okay?” He asked the second he was back beside her.

“I’m fine but you should probably go get Midge, he’s yelling at Seth about something. I think it’s Seth, anyway.” Kendra was shaking softly and that made Trey not want to step away from her. She’d been so sick only a few days before and though the iron infusion she’d had had seemed to perk her up, for the most part, Trey was still scared that she would be as weak and sick as she had been then.

Before Trey even had a chance to move, Midge’s voice boomed out and separated the crowds that had been milling, all of them falling out of the way as the President entered the room. “Oh, here he is, Tom Kirkman, not that you ever really cared for me.” Midge held his arms wide and let his smirk grow. Trey didn’t think Midge had been drinking but right now he wasn’t so sure.

“Hello, Mitchell.” Everyone in the room could likely sense the ice in Tom’s voice, and that included Midge. Instead of continuing to address Trey’s friend, Tom instead turned his attention to his brother and Trey did not like being the one that was stuck under that gaze. “I thought he was staying in the Residence.” The words were colder then they had been even a second earlier.

“I was supposed to, but I got bored and despite Trey believing I’m immature, a nine-year-old is not my favourite company.” So… Midge had listened to at least part of the implication of Trey’s rant. Midge could immature and really this was actually just proving exactly how immature he actually could be. Why else would he be here, doing something like this and showing himself up? But that wasn’t actually what Trey had said, and he didn’t like that there were words being put in his mouth in such a way.

“That wasn’t what I said, Midge. I said the lifestyle was immature and I wanted more than that.” Trey tried to reason, though he really didn’t want to step away from Kendra and from the way she grabbed onto his hand as he moved to step away she really didn’t want for him to move away too far either.

“And that’s what you have now. Your perfect family, your girlfriend and the little bastard you’re already having.” The way Midge threw that out made Trey take a step back, and everyone in the room suddenly wanted to look anywhere else but the people involved in the argument. Trey’s glance at Kendra made him realise she wanted the planet to open up and swallow her whole right now, and without another word, she dropped Trey’s hand and ran to the anteroom where he and Tom had been talking before. A second later Trey saw Lyor dash by, clearly going to follow her. Trey wished he was the one doing that, but unfortunately, he needed to deal with this first. Then there was Tom’s face, and that was the one that hurt most of all. “Oh yeah, Perfect Tom. Your little brother hasn’t even told you that he’s going to be a dad.” Midge had realised that Tom hadn’t known, and he was going to use that to his advantage.

The disgust Trey felt for his friend right now was immense and Trey had never thought that he was going to be the one asking the Secret Service to escort Midge out but right now how could he justify it. There was no way that he could defend that. “Mike, can you…?” Trey just motioned in Midge’s direction, hoping Mike would know what he meant.

“Gladly.” Mike just held a hand up and three agents came and took hold of Midge, making it clear that he was no longer welcome at the gathering. Not that he’d been invited at all to begin with. As soon as Midge’s shouts had quietened, Mike just shrugged looking at them. “I’ll make sure he’s added to the no-entry list.”

“Thanks,” Trey said, truly grateful for Mike’s interception. He then took a breath and looked to the doorway Kendra had gone through and while he wanted to talk to Tom, his heart was pulling him to checking on his fiancée. Tom could come and find them, he was sure that Kendra wouldn’t have gone all that far. “I should go and check on Kendra.” He said a little lamely in Tom’s direction then headed out, feeling both Aaron and Seth follow him. Kendra was just waiting in the anteroom, which helped Trey know she wasn’t that upset. “You okay babe?” As soon as he asked she just ran to him and he opened his arms, pulling her tight against him and holding her close.

Everyone stayed silent, giving them a few seconds to gather themselves together. Trey had felt the energy of the room shift a little when Tom had stepped into the room, but even he was silent for a few moments. Trey knew that wouldn’t last though, and this would be held up as another screw up on a great line of screw-ups that Trey Kirkman had caused. “Is it true?”

“The pregnancy? Yes. We were planning to tell you while we were away.” Trey couldn’t deny it, and he didn’t want to. He kissed the top of Kendra’s head as she pulled herself out and stood beside him, though her hand was still gripping onto his shirt at the back. Her biggest fear had been people finding out before they had a chance to tell them, and this was pretty much her worst nightmare come true.

“I’m still early in the first trimester, we weren’t planning on making it public until I reached thirteen weeks. After the wedding.” Kendra started to explain and Trey just watched his brother as she spoke. Tom would surely realise that this was about Trey's life, not his. Though based on previous evidence, there was no guarantee that he would realise that. “The first trimester is when everything goes wrong and… we didn’t want to get people excited if something happened.” Kendra trailed off and nobody spoke, the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall.

“How far along are you, Ken?” Aaron asked to break the silence that fell over them. It was a good question and Trey felt Kendra’s hand twitch on his back as she turned a little to answer. Trey didn’t break the stare he held with Tom though. He was willing his brother to understand. Willing him to know that this wasn’t about him.

“A little over eight weeks. Still very early, I found out early.” Kendra sounded happy, despite all of this she sounded thrilled which Trey was happy for, because he was thrilled too. This was everything that he had wanted and he had it with the love of his life. Today was just not the best day for having people find out.

“I told everyone to go back to celebrating… do you want me to help you write a statement?” Seth was always thinking about the practicalities during something like this, and Trey was glad for that but right now he had no idea what he actually wanted to say other than that he was ecstatic.

“No, Seth. You know what to say. Just confirm it and ask for privacy.” Kendra, clearly, didn’t want to be dealing with too many questions about it. She looked between Trey and Tom and motioned to the others to actually follow her out. “Come on, everyone, let’s leave the boys to talk.”

“I don’t think there is anything to talk about, let’s go back to the party,” Tom said, leaving Trey to stare at him as he turned on his heel and marched back through. Seth, Lyor and Aaron all shot Trey a sympathetic look before heading out, and even Kendra looked ready to go and join them, though she held her hand out for him and waited.

“I don’t think he took that well,” Trey whispered, and as soon as everyone else had left the room he tugged Kendra’s hand to hold her back and pulled her back into his arms. After a second she loosened up again and returned his gesture, whispering in his ear that it would be okay, that they could fix this. Trey desperately wanted to believe her but right now he wasn’t sure.


End file.
